The Hives, Old 97's plan fall stops at Observatory

[caption id="attachment_95524" align="alignnone" width="580" caption="The Hives perform during the first weekend of Coachella in April. Photo: David Hall, for the Register"][/caption]

If you hadn't noticed, the Observatory (formerly the Galaxy Theatre) has recently emerged as the forerunner of Orange County concert venues – at least in terms of booking home-run acts.

Further proof: a headlining stop on Sept.11 from Sweden's the Hives, who proved they're as rowdy and fun-loving as ever during April's twin performances at Coachella and a more intimate Glass House show sandwiched in between. Tickets for their next appearance, $27.50, are likely to go quickly, so snatch 'em up promptly when they go on sale Friday, June 29, at 10 a.m.

Their tour behind new album Lex Hives also comes to the Wiltern on Sept. 14 at the Wiltern, $22.50-$27.50, on sale at the same time. And here's one more at that art-deco landmark: Tenacious D, the duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, July 31, $48.50.

Speaking of sweet catches for the Observatory, Old 97's will perform Aug. 30 with Those Darlins and Rhett Miller performing solo to open. Aside from its close-quarters locale, this show stands out as part of the band's 15th anniversary tour behind its 1997 record Too Far to Care; all shows will include a full-album performance plus another set of favorites.

Tickets, $25, are on sale Saturday at 10 a.m., as are those for encore performances Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at L.A.'s El Rey Theatre, $27.

Also on sale this Friday at the Santa Ana venue: albino Muslim rapper Brother Ali on Sept. 13, $15 (with an Oct. 27 follow-up at El Rey, $19, on sale Saturday) … and a co-headlining gig from electro rockers Reptar and Rubblebucket on Sept. 22, $13, in the venue's Constellation Room.

Rock and hip-hop not really your speed? Get a taste of the Bellydance Superstars' “Magic of Dance” show at City National Grove of Anaheim on Oct. 13. Tickets, $19.50-$45, go on sale Friday at noon.

Gibson Amphitheatre has added a slew of Latin shows, including a second night from Jenni Rivera on Sept. 8, $49.75-$249.75 ... Alejandro Fernandez, Sept 13, $45-$175 ... and Yuri, Sept. 22, $45-$90. All of those are on sale Friday.

Just a few more O.C. gigs worth mentioning, all at House of Blues Anaheim and on sale Friday at 10 a.m.: ska/punk outfit Starpool on Aug. 24, $10-$32.50 … Argentinian rock group Enanitos Verdes on Sept. 2, $32.50-$67.50 … and a KROQ Locals Only showcase on Oct. 5, $15.50 - $32.50, featuring Strung Out (performing 1996's Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues and its 1998 follow-up, Twisted by Design) withsupport from the Swellers.

Catch the same double-album run-through on Sept. 29 at House of Blues Sunset Strip, $15.50-$17.50. Also on sale Friday at that location: The Dreamchasers Tour featuring Meek Mill on Aug. 8th, $32.50-$35.50, and Here Come the Mummies on Oct. 4, $17.50-$20.50.

Coming to the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood: hot new foul-mouthed rapper Azealia Banks, presenting her Mermaid Ball LA (with a promise of “special guests”) on July 14, $30, on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. ... Calexico with the Dodos on Oct. 24, $20, on sale Friday at 10 a.m. ... and Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, with Taken by Trees, Nov. 6, $22.50, on sale now.

L.A. Live's Club Nokia schedule is filling up fast, too. On sale Friday at 10 a.m. are two nights of Freestyle Session Battles, Sept. 1-2, $30 … Circa Survive on Oct. 10, $20-$25 (after a show at Pomona's Fox Theater on Oct. 7, $20) … and Aussie electro duo the Presets on Oct. 27, $28.50-$35, with an encore the next night at the Fox, $25.

The Shrine Auditorium has one show up for grabs on Friday at 10 a.m.: DJ act Pretty Lights on Sept. 15, $28.50-$48.50. Across town at the Greek Theatre, Latin Grammy winner Daddy Yankee rolls through Aug. 5. Tickets for that show, $39.50-$75, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.

Last but not least (for all the boy-band fans, anyway): a second Southern California stop from Big Time Rush at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena on Sept. 22, following a July 19 performance at Irvine's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Tickets for the new show, $29.50-$59.50, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.

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